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Climbing, Adventure, Gear & Choss
Redstone Ice Conditions Update 1.9.17
Disclaimer: Ice climbing is dangerous, use the below information at your own risk. It may be completely inaccurate due to the rapidly changing nature of ice conditions.
Even though I probably should have been out skiing pow with everyone else, we went climbing in Redstone to see how things were shaping up. Last time I went on a scouting mission up there it was raining, so it was good to see winter finally taking hold.
Short version of what we found is that the ice is looking great. Redstone does well in years with a lot of snow, and there is a LOT of snow up there right now. Warm temps this week might mess with some things, but without any sun it might help everything get fatter. Time will tell.
A word of caution, we witnessed a lot of loose wet snow sloughs off steep rock bands. Some of these could easily have knocked us over/partially buried us, and these weren’t big slopes. There is an avalanche warning for all elevations right now, and while Redstone doesn’t feel very alpine, there are spots you could get into trouble with sliding snow if you aren’t careful. Pat attention to the terrain above and around you this week.
Avocado – In about as thin as you can get and still be climbable. Probably best to wait and let it fatten up some.
Crystal Visions & Dancing in the Moonlight – look in from the road, approaches would be burly with all the snow.
Tomato Chimney – ditto.
Stoney Fest – looks in, and pretty fat.
Dirty Linen Gully – not yet, but some ice on it.
The Pencil – a little bit of ice, maybe it’ll happen this year?
Redstone Pillar – IN.
Drool – first pitch is not in, second is.
Not there yet. Lots of running water, need some colder temps.
P2 is good to go.
Redstone Slabs – lots of ice here, probably in WI6 shape currently but that could change this week.
Hayes – IN, though nothing on the steeper right side yet.
Coal Creek – this zone is looking great, lots of ice! There’s even a bunch of ice in the Man Camp cave.
Cold Heaven – might be in by the weekend!
So close!
Coal Creek Slabs – IN
Get Shorty – IN (this is the iced up chimney/crack down and left of the Man Camp, easily visible from the road, chain anchors.)
Get Shorty on the left, pillar on the right is almost in too. Anchor up on ledge.
Single Parenting – IN, and less snow on it than there was before yesterday đŸ˜‰
Andrew Overstreet near the top of Single Parenting.
Curtain Call – forming.
Roadside Attraction – FAT!
As fat as this gets.
Stoney Vision – FAT!
Stay safe out there!
One Response to Redstone Ice Conditions Update 1.9.17
Bulldog Creek Dog Walk (IV WI 4+)
Hayden Carpenter and Tom Bohanon recently repeated an obscure ice climb on the south side of Mt Sopris. Given a brief mention in Jack Robert’s ice guide, Bulldog Creek Walk is described as being 100 meters of WI 4. What they found was seven pitches of ice in a remote setting that makes for one […]
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B.J.
Your devotion to this site is a credit to you as a climber, a man conscious of the social fabric of the pursuit of climbing, and one willing to take the time to be informative for unselfish reasons. Thank you for your time and efforts.
Now that I’m 69 I don’t get out as much, but the vicarious satisfaction of checking conditions on the many routes I’ve done in the area is both uplifting and conducive to pleasant remembrances. Again, thank you for what you do on behalf of climbers in this area.
Sincerely,
Andy Popinchalk
Aspen